AS MANY as 12 heads of departments (HoDs) and senior doctors of Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) have conveyed to institute director Jagat Ram that the emergency out patient department (OPD) is witnessing a huge rush of patients and to ensure smooth working of emergency OPD, the institute should “restrict the number of patients or either the area of the emergency OPD be extended”.

Sources said that the meeting was held two weeks ago and was attended by the representatives of nephrology, neurology, medicine cardiology, paediatrics, and other major departments. The meeting was called regarding coordination of various departments.

On Thursday, Chandigarh Newsline spoke to four heads of department who attended the meeting. “Yes, the matter was discussed. It was said that the existing load of emergency is more than five times its capacity,” a senior faculty member told Chandigarh Newsline. “The director has been now conveyed that to ensure smooth working of emergency OPD, measures should be taken either by restricting the number of patients coming to emergency or the area should be widened.”

The doctor said most of the faculty members were of the view that a cap on the number of patients might be made on the same pattern of AIIMS, New Delhi. “One of the faculty members even suggested that some space for the emergency OPD can be provided in the new hospital building,” he said. Sources said that discussions and suggestions were documented and sent to the PGI director.

A head of department who was also present in the meeting said that the faculty also suggested that one consultant from each super-specialty should be deputed in emergency to provide consultation.

A senior PGI official said the “patient rush is one of the major problems faced by the institute”. He, however, said it is not possible “to restrict the number of patients”.

“We are in a situation that we cannot refuse the serious patients because our institute is the premier medical facility in north India. Other major hospitals in the city are not equipped with the facilities which are available with us,” he said, adding that the triage system is already in place.

The triage system is the evaluation of the patient’s condition to determine the priority for admission to the emergency.

When contacted, the PGI director admitted that PGI was witnessing a huge number of patients and that the administration had started writing to the departments concerned of the neighbouring states requesting them “that their hospitals shouldn’t send unnecessary referrals to PGI”.